Portland Public Library

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The Portland Public Library, which consists of four branches throughout the city, is representative of public libraries in the best sense of the word. In short, it more than fulfills its mission of... Read More

The Portland Public Library, which consists of four branches throughout the city, is representative of public libraries in the best sense of the word. In short, it more than fulfills its mission of advancing love of the written word, arts and culture – at little or no cost to library patrons. Those seeking a quiet place to immerse yourself in a great book – without the accompanying coffee shop chatter and activity – will find a welcome refuge at the Portland Public Library. But Portland's city library also offers much more. On any given day of the week, there are free talks by renown authors, readings by book groups, documentary film screenings, art exhibits and even basic computer training and math tutoring for teens. Unique to this library is the Portland Room, a repository of rare books, documents and letters – some dating back to the mid-1500s – well worth exploring. The library also has an impressive collection of DVDs and audio books that are well worth sampling.